Chiemgau Alps East

Apart from snowdrifts, attentiveness urged towards small-to-medium loose-snow afternoon avalanches

Apart from snowdrifts, attentiveness urged towards small-to-medium loose-snow afternoon avalanches

Avalanche danger above the treeline is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Fresh snowdrift accumulations are the main problem. One single winter sports enthusiast can, on ridgelines, on some steep slopes in N/E/S aspects, in freshly wind-loaded gullies and bowls, and behind protruberances, trigger small to medium sized avalanches. Frequency and size of the danger zones increase with ascending altitude. In addition, the fresh snow can release naturally as small-to-medium loose-snow avalanches in steep rocky terrain. Isolated wet-snow and glide-snow avalanches are still possible.

Strong westerly winds have generated small snowdrift accumulations, often prone to triggering. Bonding of fresh and older snow, and old snow to snowdrifts, deteriorates with ascending altitude. Due to solar radiation the fresh snow will lose its bonding and can release as loose snow. At intermediate altitudes the old snowpack is thoroughly wet. In addition, the snow is becoming wet from the warm earth, it could begin to glide as a single mass. Below 1500m the fresh snow lies on bare slopes. Due to solar radiation on Sunday, these zones will again become bare.

The weather will become milder and sunnier. Danger of dry avalanches will recede, danger of wet avalanches will increase and be subject to a daytime dange cycle.